The Boy Scouts of America’s national executive board voted this week to allow gay adult employees and volunteers into the organization, but local units will be permitted to exclude them due to a religious exemption.
Scouting units include Boy Scout troops, Cub Scout packs, crews, teams and groups.
About 70 board members attended a July 27 meeting and teleconference in Irving, Texas, when the new policy was approved. About 79 percentof the board approved the policy, which goes into effect immediately.
Two years ago, the organization lifted its ban on gay youth. But LGBT advocates say that local units banning gay adults also create a hostile environment for gay youth.
There are about 100,000 BSA units throughout the country, and the majority are religiously based. It’s expected that LGBT advocates will continue litigation to ensure that volunteers in religiously based units aren’t excluded on the basis of sexual orientation.
The BSA Cradle of Liberty Council adopted a new membership and employment policy in June, pledging to “vigorously” oppose discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation “from whatever source.”
Cradle serves youth in Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
Cradle’s new policy doesn’t contain a religious exemption, and it remains unclear if Cradle will allow any of its 500 units to exclude gay adults.
Greg Lattera, 30, was ejected from Cradle in 2003, after coming out as a gay Life Scout. This week, he expressed mixed feelings about the new BSA policy.
“Technically, it’s not totally inclusive,” Lattera said. “But I’m OK with it, because certain troops can only stay afloat if they remain affiliated with a religious organization. It’s a big step forward. But eventually, I hope all BSA units will be able to be inclusive.”
But Geoffrey C. McGrath, an outspoken advocate for equality in Scouting, blasted the new BSA policy.
McGrath was ejected from Scouting in 2014, after coming out as a gay Scoutmaster in Seattle.
“The new policy continues to leave youth and families at risk of being mistreated in the name of religion within their scouting units,” he said. “There is not one word on the part of BSA acknowledging their plight, nor giving comfort to their condition. Rather, the policy enjoins their members from saying anything about it at all.”